100 Drabbles
by Dingbats and Dweebs
Summary: From that first misson on Eden Prime to the Reaper War and beyond. Follow Shepard's journey through these drabbles based on the 100 prompt challenge. FemShep/Liara
1. Chapter 1

100 Drabbles

#1-8

Pairings: FemShepXLiara

Spoilers: Mass Effect 1,2,3 and the universe as a whole

A/N: In order to try and improve my writing I will be attempting the 100 drabble challenge for the pairing FemShepXLiara. Not all of these are contain the pairing, but they are all related to the mass effect universe and my personal headcannons. Some drabbles are from my 'everything is rainbows and kittens' universe while others are more like the game cannon.

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**Introduction**

"My name is Commander Shepard, and we've been looking for you Doctor."

Liara stared at the armored human below her. Well she guessed it was a human, but given her current state of distress it was difficult to be certain, especially with the heavy armor and helmet that made impossible to discern any attributes specific to species. At the very least she knew they weren't geth, unless these were some form of infiltration platforms. But that would mean the AI's had somehow developed realistic organic verbal output software and..

"We came here to find her, and we found her. Hurry up and get her out so we can blow this place into rubble."

The deep rumbling tone drew her away from her mental tangent, and she studied the supposed Commander's companions. One was definitely in the form of a krogan, and he was arguing with, she could only assume, another human. Realizing that their topic of discussion was her rescue, not her capture, she dismissed her hypothesis for the insane idea it was (Goddess she really needed to get out of here, or next she would thinking they were some kind of heavily armed hallucination) and turned her attention back to her potential allies.

The krogan was still grumbling, clearly upset about the lack of shooting going on at the moment. "Get that damn barrier down already, I've got some bullets with the geth's names written all over them." The other human wasn't as convinced, "Commander how do we know she isn't working with the enemy? Benezia is her mother after all." She said as she kept her gun leveled at Liara's chest.

Despite her exhaustion Liara felt rage bubble up, "I have not spoken to my mother in years, I have no idea where she is or what she is doing with this Saren. Now please get me out of here!" Her sudden outburst stunned the group, and she found herself locking gaze with the commander.

For a moment the world around them blurred away and she felt as though the commander was trying to look into the depths of her very soul. Liara fidgeted in discomfort, but was unable to look away. After what seemed like ages the commander spoke, "Easy Williams, if the good doctor was working with the geth I suspect they would be putting a lot less effort into cornering her. Now lets see if we can't find a way to get to her first."

The human turned her sharp gaze away from Liara, moving to look around the dig site. In a few minutes the squad was headed off to fire up the mining laser. Liara tensed as they moved away, worried that they would disappear once they had left her sight and she would loose her only chance of rescue. Desperate, she cried out, "Commander!"

Once again she found herself under the scrutiny of green eyes. At a lost for what to say she stuttered out the first thing that came to mind. "Be careful, there are still geth around." Inwardly she cringed, the commander would already know that, having fought dozens on her way here.

The skin around the commander eyes crinkled, and she let out a brief chuckle.

"Don't worry Doc, killing geth is what I do."

It wouldn't be till years later that Liara would know how true that statement was.

**Complicated**

Bullets rained into the crates around her as Shepard ducked into cover. Quickly reloading her Mattock rifle she signaled to Garrus to begin his attack. Hunkering down, she waited for the sounds of the drug crates being lit on fire by his incendiary rounds before she popped out, aiming for the Eclipse sisters who were momentarily stunned by the exploding red cloud.

In the next instant she was back behind the crates, narrowly avoiding an overpowered warp field. The drug crates had proved to be both an aid and a hindrance; several of their opponents had been choked and paralyzed by the stuff. However, blowing up the crates also meant that they were, for all intents and purposes, super powering their enemy's biotics. She had already been tossed around like a rag doll by more than one crazed asari.

_Dammit why do things always end up this way? _

She had intended their stop to Illium to be a simple errand run. Stop by, recruit Thane and Samara, make sure Miranda's sister was okay, and maybe reunite with a certain blue scientist she was missing a helluva lot.

Her first clue that the day wasn't going to go as planned came when she was racing through the cargo docks, dodging rockets and bullets alike. Of course she had partially expected that turn of events, Miranda had said her father was partial towards using brute force. No, her day hadn't really taken a sour turn until she had gone to visit Liara.

Shifting her gun, Shepard motioned to Grunt to begin his push forward. By now the drug's enhancing effects had worn off, and the enemy biotics were getting sloppy in their exhaustion. Rising up to give Grunt some cover fire, the commander scowled as she remembered the disaster that meeting turned out to be.

Upon entering Liara's office she had been stunned to hear her timid scientist threaten a man in a way that vividly reminded Shepard of her mother, Matriarch Benezia. Before she could recover from the shock, Liara was in her arms and kissing her, and just as quickly pulling away. The entire conversation that followed only served to confuse Shepard further, her dream of a happy reunion scattering to the wind. She still couldn't believe that Liara had coerced her into a favor, only offering the information on Thane and Samara after Shepard had completed her little hacking errand.

Just thinking about the asari's cold tone of voice as she explained how she could not drop everything and go gallivanting around the galaxy brought Shepard's blood to a boil. Whoever had been in that office certainly wasn't the shy, awkward, archeologist that she had fallen in love with. She wasn't even certain if Liara could even be considered a friend anymore. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time in the past few months one of her supposed best friends had turned their back on her.

The reminder of Ashley's betrayal was enough to tip Shepard over the edge and into a furious rage. Throwing all caution to the wind she stood up and charged out of cover. Switching to her shotgun she was barely aware of Grunt's cry of glee as she blasted through two of her opponents and spun to slam the butt of her gun into a third.

_Dammit all to hell! _

She hadn't expected Liara to just fall into her arms and for them to ride off into the sunset. But she had never though her gentle lover could turn into a cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, power mongrel. As she raced forward towards the next group of enemies she could only think of the unfairness of it all, about how no matter how hard she fought, or how many battles she won, nothing ever just worked out. It only grew and grew until it morphed into a huge, complicated, mess.

And here she was, fighting through an army of mercenaries in an attempt to find a ship name needed to prevent a Justicar from slaughtering an entire division of police officers. Later she would have to track down an assassin as he attempted to complete his contract on one of the most paranoid asari in history. All par for the norm as far as she was considered. Shepard knew she really shouldn't be surprised about Liara, but that didn't diminish her anger in the slightest.

_I really need a drink. _(1)

**Making History**

Akuze, the Blitz, Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, the assault on the collector base, curing the Genophage, the end of the Geth/Quarian War, the war with the Reapers; one name prevailed in all of them. The galaxy as everyone knew it had changed drastically over the past decade and at the center of it all was Commander Shepard, charging in with the Normandy and saving the day. She'd done more than the history books would ever be able capture, lauded as a hero and a savior all over the galaxy. Reporters claimed that she could solve any problem, no matter how impossible it may seem. Bystanders swore they had seen entire armies of mercenaries surrender at the mere mention of her name. She was the epitome of Victory, a title first stated by a former crewmember that had stuck over the years. Yet for all that was said about her, all the stories and legends tacked to her name, none ever seemed to capture the true Shepard.

Liara smiled as she leaned against the doorframe to her daughter's room, watching as her bondmate tell a story to their sleepy two-year-old, complete with wild gestures and funny voices. The small child giggled as her father exuberantly slayed an imaginary foe, clapping excitedly at the foul creature's defeat. Spinning in a victorious circle, Shepard caught sight of her wife hovering in the doorway and slowly made her way over.

"And once the mighty dragon was defeated, the knight returned to the castle to claim her reward from the beautiful princess." Sidling up to Liara, Shepard wrapped her arms around the asari and leaned in close, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, and what might that reward be?" Playing along Liara feigned ignorance, raising her hands to fiddle with the collar of Shepard's shirt.

"It's a kiss, mommy. The princess always rewards the knight with a kiss!" Averia bounced on her bed happy that, for once, she knew something her really smart mommy didn't.

"Yeah, you don't want to go and break tradition now, do you?" Shepard winked at her daughter before turning her gaze back to Liara.

Attempting to look serious, Liara nodded in a decisive way. "Well I could never let it get out that a T'soni had broken such a time honored tradition." Leaning in, she gave Shepard a light peck on the lips, careful not to linger to long. Then, moving her head to the opposite side of Shepard's, and out of Averia's line of sight, she nipped lightly at an earlobe and whispered, "When you're finished here, I'll give you a reward truly befitting my brave knight." Pulling back she was pleased to see a light blush smattered over Shepard's cheeks. Disentangling herself from Shepard's embrace, she moved over to Averia's bed and pulled back the covers. "Alright Little Wing, time for bed."

Obedient now that she had heard her bedtime story, the little asari climbed under the sheets. Tucking her in, Liara leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead and then moved aside so that Shepard could complete their nightly ritual. With absolute seriousness the soldier methodically moved around the room, small flashlight in hand. Opening closets and checking under bureaus, she thoroughly searched each area before finally moving to look under the bed. When she was done she stood to attention and saluted her daughter. "I've completed the room search and have found no monsters to report," Releasing her salute she continued, "Looks like you're all clear for a good night's sleep, kiddo." Leaning in, she too kissed Averia goodnight and received a hug for her efforts. "Thank you daddy. Goodnight mommy, goodnight daddy."

With their child tucked in and her Normandy nightlight emitting a soft glow, Liara and Shepard left the room and headed to their own room. Yes, Liara thought, Shepard had been involved in dozens of history making moments, and would forever be remembered as the savior of all life. But none of those titles truly mattered to Shepard; she could care less about being lauded as the hero who conquered the reapers, that had been her job and she had done it, no questions asked.

Instead, there were other titles that the mighty Spectre sought after, like monster hunter, storyteller, and best hug-giver. For all the momentous occasions in history that she had been apart of, it was the moments with her family that she treasured. Whether it was the trips to the park, or embarrassing herself for her daughter's amusement, she was determined to make history in a different way. Not as the god-like figure that the rest of the world knew, but as the caring father who was always waiting with a hug.

**Rivalry**

"Alright! That's another for me." The turian's shout rung out through the battlefield soon after a destroyer's head exploded from a sniper bullet. "You'd better hurry up Shepard, at this rate it you'll have to double your number just to match mine"

"Laugh it up Vakarian, ha!" The next exclamation came from the commander as three geth blew apart from her proximity mine before a fourth and fifth fell from matching shotgun blasts in the chest.

"Oh come on Shepard, grenades are cheating. There's no skill involved, all you need is enough brain cells to remember which part to throw." Garrus' mandibles twitched in what resembled a smile. Ducking into cover, the commander glared at him good-naturedly. "Sure, like you didn't use one five minutes ago to take out those rocket troopers."

Their bickering was interrupted as a wave of biotic energy rippled across the field, easily snaring around ten geth and lifting them into the air. A warp soon followed, detonating the singularity and all those caught in it. Pieces from the decimated geth flew outwards, crashing into those that remained and ripping them to shreds.

Shepard and Garrus gawked at the carnage, jaws dropping as a pistol bullet to the head finished the few that were still twitching. Stepping out from her cover Liara looked at her squadmates, a small grin on her face.

" I do believe I win."

**Unbreakable**

Possibly the only good thing to come from the Reaper War was the bond it created between squadmates. Everyone, whether they were on a ship, planet-side, or in a hastily formed militia, knew the threat they faced and the sheer impossibility of survival. Their dire situation drew them together, making brothers out of those who would have been enemies. Of course there was no stronger bond than the one formed by the Normandy crew. Past or present, all who served upon the ship were closer than blood, each having spilt their own to protect the others and the galaxy as a whole.

Over time they drifted apart; moving on to become admirals, councilors, teachers, and much more. But no matter how far they strayed, once a year they would gather. To recant the deadly missions, and silly pranks, to rehash old arguments about who was the best shot, and who had the strongest biotics. But mostly they came to remember, to uphold their promise to never forget. The parties would vary from year to year. Sometimes they were held in fancy hotels, served by well-bribed waiters, and other times they were in seedy bars, their laughter rising above the low tones of the strippers' music. However, wherever they ended up their get-togethers always ended the same way.

At the end of the night, when the majority of them were so trashed they could barely stand, Shepard would pour everyone one final drink. Then she would shakily jump onto whatever table was clear enough, and raise her glass. There was never any fancy speech, no hair-raising words to get them all fired up for a fight. Instead she waited until everyone had raised their own glass and, in a voice far too sober, ask, "Who's like us?"

The answering shout always shook the rafters, "Damn few, and they're all dead. Oorah!"

After that they would all leave, each disappearing into their own corner of the galaxy, some not to be seen until the next year. But the distance was never important; if any of them ever needed help the others would come running in an instant. For they were the crew of the Normandy, they had been to hell and back more times than anyone could count, and there was nothing that could tear them apart. (2)

**Obsession**

Night had fallen on the Shepard-T'soni household. All of it residents were fast asleep in their beds, all except for one. Sitting up, Shepard punched her pillow in a desperate attempt to get comfortable. She was by no means a stranger to sleepless nights, but the reason for her recent bout of insomnia was a problem she had thought solved long ago.

_Still…_ Glancing to her left, Shepard observed the sleeping figure of her wife. Liara was out cold, one arm draped across her stomach and the other tucked underneath her pillow. Moonlight illuminated the soft curves of her face, creating an almost ethereal glow. However, it was also said moonlight causing Shepard's sleep troubles, for the extra light also highlighted one very unusual aspect of the asari's facial features. Normally Shepard would pay it no mind, the oddness of it masked by the more important issues of her wakeful hours. Also, she had already questioned Liara about it and therefore should consider the matter closed.

_Tch, you're being stupid. Now go to sleep! _Forcing herself to look away, the commander turned onto her side, shoving both hands under her pillow. Squeezing her eyes shut, her determination lasted for all of five minutes before she flipped over again, cautiously reaching out towards her bedmate. After a few moments of terse rubbing, Liara's eyes flew open, glaring heavily into Shepard's guilty ones.

"Shepard how many times do I have to tell you? My eyebrow markings are not painted on!"

(3- please look at the A/N for this!)

**Eternity**

The first time she had heard the phrase, _Embrace Eternity, _Shepard had been confused. Sure melding consciousnesses with an asari was… intense, but she didn't see how the experience dictated such a poetic verbal precursor. Her befuddlement persisted through the shallow melds she shared with Liara. Both of them had been painful (for her) and tiring (for Liara) and she couldn't figure out why the asari considered it such a magical occurrence.

But when she felt Liara gently reach out, her consciousness caressing Shepard's as tenderly as the their physical embrace, something clicked. Over the next few hours she began to understand the meaning of truly being bound to another person. As they shuddered and gasped for breath Shepard couldn't tell where she ended and Liara began. All of their experiences, their emotions, had blurred together into one magnificent whole.

Afterwards they lay together in a pile of sweaty limbs, sending brief pulses of affection across the fading union. Staring into the blue eyes of her new lover, and seeing part of herself reflected back, Shepard smiled. Perhaps there was something of eternity involved after all.

**Gateway**

The morning sun had just started to rise in the sky when Liara heard the first wakeful shuffles of her family. In no time at all three pairs of feet thundered down the stairs and she barely managed to set aside her cup of tea before she was besieged by a blue hoard.

Laughing at her daughters' antics she pushed back from her seat at the table and leaned down to give each a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Good morning little ones, I see you're all very energetic this morning."

A chorus of "Morning Mama!" was her reply, and she felt her grin grow as she watched each of them split apart and go about their own business.

The oldest, Averia, had backed away from the table and was now pulling a small glass out of the cupboard. Having just turned nine, the stubborn child was determined to show her parents that she was responsible and entirely capable of doing small tasks such as pouring her own milk. Still Liara watched her with a careful eye, biotics ready to catch a falling glass or prevent milk from spilling everywhere.

A small scuffle by her feet drew her attention away from her precariously balanced eldest and she couldn't contain another chuckle as she watched the heated discussion below her.

At five years old Jayce and Valeria could hardly manage an hour without some sort of fight. Currently the twins were wrestling to determine who had first right to sit in their mother's lap. Roughly shoving each other they paid no notice to what they bumped into during their contest, including their mother. Abandoning her now unsafe chair, Liara decided the matter for them, instead choosing to intercept Averia as she tried to open the refrigerator door while simultaneously holding both the milk carton and her very full glass. Ignoring her daughter's exasperated sigh as she opened the door, the older maiden tucked the milk carton safely back on the shelf. Once her eldest was seated in her recently departed chair and the twins pacified with matching juice boxes, Liara moved to check on the most recent addition to the T'soni name.

Since she was barely a year old Benezia had the honor of being brought downstairs by her mother first thing and was currently settled comfortably into her high chair. Babbling loudly at the commotion the baby reached out for her mother, wanting to join in the excitement.

"Aha, not yet little sparrow. We'll play after breakfast is done." Smoothing her hand over the growing tendrils of Benezia's crest, she reached for a handful of dried cereal and placed it on the tray in front of her. The cereal was a human creation that dated back centuries, but it had proven itself a healthy and entertaining food and, mercifully, one easy to clean up off the floor.

Now that the baby was distracted Liara turned back to the others, clapping her hands together in an attempt to garner their attention. "Alright what should we make for breakfast?" Sundays were something of an important affair at the T'soni house, after all it was one of the only days of the week when Liara wasn't lecturing at the local college, or sneaking away to monitor the broker's data feeds. It was also the day when Shepard was most likely to be home and not off on one of her frequent missions. Together, these occurrences had created a sort of tradition for the family.

Each Sunday Liara would rise slightly before dawn. Once she took care of her hygiene needs she would work her ways downstairs (usually accompanied by Benezia) and wake up slowly with a data pad and hot cup of tea. Shortly afterwards she would be joined by the rest of her daughters in a manner very similar as today. A short debate about breakfast followed, but the victor was always pancakes; most likely because it was Shepard's favorite. Said person would join them last, having being roused by the smell of food and the sounds of her bustling family. This morning was no different and as she listened to the chorus of voices behind her Liara began to pull out the necessary ingredients.

"We should have cereal!" Came a cry from Valeria.

"Nuh-uh stupid, we have cereal everyday we're supposed to do something special on Sundays." This time it was Jacye who spoke; her tone arrogant as she stated what she felt was obvious.

Tilting her head Liara looked sternly at the young asari. "Jayce do not call your sister stupid, it is rude." Ignoring the snickering from Valeria, she turned back to her task.

"Would both of you stop it, we go through this every week and the result is always the same, pancakes." Averia glared at her younger siblings over her glass, tired of hearing the same argument over and over.

Naturally the twins took offence to this and a new round of bickering started. "Always the same indeed" Liara chuckled to herself.

Between Averia's offers to help and the twin's obscure ingredient suggestions it took a solid half-hour before the first batch of pancakes were sizzling on the stove. Surprised that Shepard hadn't joined them yet the cogs in Liara's mind began to spin. Perhaps it was time for a little payback for all the pranks her lover had pulled over the years. Wiping her hands on a dishcloth she called her daughters over from where they had been playing peek-a-boo with Benezia.

Trying to hold down a smirk the older asari leaned down and whispered, " It looks like your father is having a hard time waking up, maybe the three of you should go and give her a hand." Winking conspiratorially she continued, "She had a very late night, so you'd better give it everything you have." Straightening, she watched as her sniggering brood scampered up the stairs. It was unlikely that Shepard wouldn't hear them coming, but she knew first hand that three squirming children were hard to handle when one first awoke. Straining to hear what was going on above her, she continued with her cooking. As expected a chorus of yells soon echoed around the house and Liara's smirk blossomed into a full-grown grin.

A string of coos caught her attention and she reached out to tickle the baby beside her. "Maybe that will teach your father not to set the girls on me the next time I fall asleep on the couch." Benezia squealed loudly and clapped her hands in agreement.

Settling in to finish breakfast, the scientist waited for the inevitable return of her children, this time with a sleepy Shepard in tow. However she was startled when instead of thudding footsteps she heard several high pitched shrieks and calls for help. Curious at the new development she double-checked that Benezia was secure in her chair and proceeded towards the commotion. Once upstairs she headed towards the master bedroom that served as her and Shepard's room.

Whatever she was expecting to find it didn't quite match the scene displayed in front of her. Perched precariously on cotton sheets, Averia, Jayce, and Valeria were all leaning over the side, desperately trying to see underneath the bed without falling off. She was spotted almost immediately and was subject to three identical looks of horror. Averia was the first to speak, gesturing wildly at her mother, "Mom! Quick get on the bed, before it gets you."

Adopting a serious expression, Liara asked, "Before what gets me?"

"The monster," replied Jayce, "It already got daddy, now hurry!"

Spying a pile of pillows covering her bondmate's side of the bed Liara started to get an idea of who the 'monster' truly was. Fighting to keep a straight face, she crossed her arms and marched towards the bed.

"Don't you worry I've faced hundreds of these 'monsters'. This one doesn't stand a chance." Kneeling down she ignored the startled gasps above her head and peered under the bed. For the second time that morning she was surprised, seeing absolutely nothing of interest save for a few dust bunnies clinging to the carpet. Backing out she was about to stand up when a pair of hands grabbed her from behind, lifting her up and tossing her onto the bed amidst her laughing offspring. She barely recovered in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair vanishing around the corner, soon followed by all three girls. Shaking her head at Shepard antics, Liara followed them all downstairs, briefly pausing to pick up Benezia before heading to the backyard.

The air outside was filled with shrieks and giggles as the small asari chased their father around. Shepard was laughing just as hard, periodically pausing her escape to allow them to catch up before darting away once again. At one point she even grabbed Valeria, holding her upside down and tickling her until the child squealed for mercy. Liara watched it all from the porch, a smile on her face matched only by the swelling affection in her heart. Benezia squirmed in her arms, clearly wanting to join in on the fun. Bouncing her lightly, Liara pressed a kiss into the side of the baby's head. "Soon little sparrow, once you've grown big enough to hold your own."

A sudden shout drew her gaze back to the yard and she laughed outright as Shepard was brought down in a heap of limbs. Jayce had managed to wrap herself around her father's legs at the same time that Averia jumped onto her back. Caught off guard, the mighty commander landed face first onto the ground and left herself vulnerable to tickle attacks by her pursuers. After a few moments of breathlessness she managed to turn over, giving as good as she got in the tickle war. Liara let their fun continue, but a slight burning smell reminded her of the last few pancakes she had left unattended. Deciding that it was time to usher everyone back inside she called out, "Alright everyone breakfast is starting to get cold, time to go get cleaned up."

A chorus of 'awws' was her reply; nevertheless everyone untangled themselves. Reaching out, Shepard pulled the girls in for a hug, mumbling a good morning to each of them before pushing them in the direction of the door. Hanging back, Shepard waited until the girls had disappeared into the house before approaching her wife. Patting Benezia's head she ambled up for a good-morning kiss but was halted by an insistent hand on her chest. Liara's eyes gleamed as she took stock of her lover; sleep tousled hair and messy bedclothes covered in grass stains and dirt. Nothing had ever looked so wonderful to the archeologist in her life.

"You're filthy too, go take a shower and then come talk to me." A soft chuckle was Shepard's only answer, and she placed a chaste kiss on Liara's cheek as she sidestepped her and headed inside. Feeling incredibly peaceful, Liara hesitated for a moment, basking in the warm sun and happy feelings. Soon though, she too moved to the door. "Well Benezia, should we go join them?"

A happy gurgle was her answer.

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**A/N **Whelp there's the first bunch. As always I love positive criticism and feedback, and any prompts you guys want to give me. I'm about to start working on the next bunch, hopefully they'll be up in the next few weeks.

Notes:

A) I'm trying to avoid naming my Shepard in order to make her more relatable for everyone, but obviously she has many quirks that I can't help but adding. For the point of this story I'm using my Skye Shepard, Colonist, Sole Survivor/War Hero, Soldier. She's a big muscle-head with shaggy blonde hair and green eyes. Let me know if you want to know more about her, or my other five Shepards!

1) Skye Shepard doesn't drink. The reason? She turns into an absolute, ball-breaking, asshole when she does. Calling her an angry drunk would be like calling a blood-raging krogan a grumpy kitten. The majority of ME2 was not a good time for her, so when she sees what happens to Liara she finally snaps. I like to think she went to some Batarian/Turian/ Not-human friendly bar after this, got piss drunk, and destroyed the place brawling with the other patrons while Liara watched the surveillance videos sadly.

2) The first time I heard that toast I had not clue what it meant. It made no sense to me whatsoever until I went to write this piece. I sat there for about ten minutes trying to figure out something short and simple for Shepard to say that would some up how everyone felt about those that had been lost in the war. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks when I thought about the toast, and now I know why they included it. It is the perfect summary of the Normandy crew, and I'm glad to have heard it.

3) Okay the credit for this story does not come from me. I stole it from Wingedmoggy's comic on deviantart – Shepard Is Curious- which can be found here: art/Shepard-is-curious-253203592

Seriously go take a look at her work, she has countless funny comics about the antics of her Shepard and Liara. Hopefully she'll forgive me for stealing the idea, but I really couldn't think of a better story to go along with that prompt.


	2. 9-14

100 Drabbles

#9-14

**A/N **Thanks to those who reviewed!

**Spoilers: **ME 1,2 and 3

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**Death**

The warmth of the ground beneath her was what finally drudged Shepard from unconsciousness. Heat seeped into her body, leaving it tingling and slightly numb.

"Ugh.." Forcing herself to move Shepard rolled onto her side and pushed into a kneeling position. She startled slightly when she felt her bare arms press into the dirt. Hadn't she been wearing armor? She could've sworn she'd been covered in her N7 issue armor just moments before, not the tank top and slacks she currently wore. However, her mind refused to answer, remaining blurry and unfocused.

"Well damn, must have hit my head pretty hard" Stumbling to her feet, the commander attempted to shake herself awake, but clarity remained outside of her grasp. In fact the entire world around her was cloudy, covered in a perpetual haze. Shepard limped forward a few steps. Everything around her seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place why. Sunlight shone through the branches of the trees and a gentle breeze sent flower petals swirling through the air.

Her legs continued of their own volition, leading her down a path that had appeared only moments before. As she moved along it the forest began to thin out. Soon she reached a small clearing, the air around taking on a salty tang. Squinting, she peered through the mist around her, trying to make out any distinguishable features. There. Was that a… a bench?

The breeze shifted to a full-blown gust, blowing the fog away and letting her see (fairly) clearly. It was indeed a bench, and furthermore it was occupied. Once again Shepard's body seemed to move by itself, bringing her closer to the apparition.

_Kaidan. _She locked eyes with the lieutenant the moment his name flashed through her mind.

Her ex-squadmate smiled at her from his seated position. He was reclining backwards, one leg resting on the other, and hands crossed in his lap. "Heya Commander." There was no anger in the greeting, just a calm patience that was reflected in his eyes.

"But how, I mean you, I.., where are we?" Shepard croaked out.

Kaidan patted the bench next to him. "Have a seat Commander, you look a little worn out." Tentatively the N7 marine joined him, her curiosity outweighing her cautious nature. They sat in silence for several moments, just listening to the echoes of nature around them.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember the last time you were here." The sentinel's voice was soft as they stared out at the forest.

"I've been here before?" The longer she sat still the more she remembered about the world around her. Somehow Shepard knew that if she continued past the trees in front of them she would reach a beach.

"Yeah, not that long ago either. I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Kaidan, what's happening?" Shepard voice wavered slightly as she turned to face her friend.

The LT was silent for a few heartbeats. Finally he tilted his head back and took a deep breath. Letting it out, he rose to his feet.

"Nothing that hasn't happened to everyone who's ever lived." Offering his hand to her, the gentle smile returned to his face. "Come on Commander, we've got a ways to go."

Shepard stared blankly at him. There was a lightness to her body, as if a great weight had been cut away. Slowly, she moved to take his outstretched hand.

"_Commander…._"

"Huh?" The commander blinked. Suddenly she was no longer sitting and Kaiden had shifted, now several feet away.

"Commander? Everything alright?" He was looking at her, hand still poised for her to grab.

"Just thought I heard something." The words tumbled slowly from her mouth. That infernal fogginess had returned, making it difficult to think. Again she started towards him.

"_Shepard…" _

This time her whole body jolted, stunning her for a few moments. When she finally opened her eyes the world around her had changed. Dark clouds had overtaken the skies, casting heavy shadows on the land between her and Kaidan; creating a chasm between them.

"Who, who is that?" Her head was pounding, and she was once again struggling to focus on her surroundings. Blind panic took a hold of her.

"Well I'll be damned." Despite being so far away, Kaidan's words were crystal clear in her ear.

"Kaidan, help!" Shepard's wild eyes locked on his calm ones, desperately trying to figure out what to do.

A forlorn chuckle escaped his lips. Withdrawing his hand, the sentinel scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry Commander, but I'm not the one in control here."

"What?" Her body was refusing to move. The heaviness from before had returned tenfold, and her feet felt glued in place.

"_Shepard. Shepard please."_

Another jolt. This time the call pierced through the fog in her mind, and a name floated to the surface.

"Liara?" Stillness pervaded at the quiet whisper. The world around her tilted, sending Shepard tumbling to her knees.

Footsteps caused her to look up, and she once again met Kaidan's eyes. Somehow he remained upright, but now he was floating more than standing.

"Looks like you've made your choice Commander," His voice was just as serene as before, but now it was tinted with a bit of sadness, "I guess I never stood a chance. Liara's a lucky girl, make sure she knows it"

Everything around her was fading into black, and soon even Kaidan started to disappear.

"Wait!" Her cry earned her one final grin.

"Don't worry Commander, you'll see me again someday." With that he vanished, leaving her alone in the dark.

"_Skye!" _Liara's tortured voice rang out from all angles and Shepard screamed as pained flared all over her body, purging all thought from her mind

Machines of all shapes and sizes were beeping and blaring, the noise only matched by the shouting of the doctors as they rushed around Shepard's bedside.

Liara stood numbly in the corner of the room, her eyes glued to the heart rate monitor and its constant, flat line.

"Clear!" A shocking sound rang above the din in the room, and Shepard's body twitched in response. The red line refused to move.

"Commander." The words were almost a whisper and Liara felt the numbness being replaced by a worse emotion; complete and utter fear.

"I need an adrenaline shot now!" An urgent shout dragged the asari's attention towards the silver-haired doctor in the middle of the madness.

Dr. Chakwas was perhaps the only person who could compete with Liara for time spent by Shepard's side in the past few days. She had taken complete control of the commander's care the moment the Normandy finished limping home; just about a week ago. Even the strong-willed Miranda had been forced to surrender to the aging physician, though the ex-cerebus operative remained close at hand. Currently the tall brunette was tracking Shepard's vitals whilst shouting the information to Chakwas.

Liara still remembered the exact moment when the gargled message had filtered through the Normandy's comm. channels. Hacket had confirmed what they all had hoped. The Reapers were dead, the war was over, and Shepard had been found alive.

Everyone had been taken aback by that last part. Inside the XO's office Liara had shifted from her position on the bed. Teary eyes stared at Ashley as the spectre asked the admiral for confirmation that they had heard right.

The "Affirmative" was barely out of his mouth before Liara was racing out of the cabin, biotics flaring over her body. The instant she rounded the elevator she lashed out, nearly clipping a stunned Traynor. The biotic pulse ripped Shepard's name from the memorial wall and blew it apart, sending bits of the nameplate in every direction. Several crewmembers came running at the explosion, only to gawk at the giggling asari crumpled against the wall. But Liara didn't care, Shepard was alive, their future together stood a chance.

And now she was watching it slip out of her grasp for a third time.

"Shepard." Her voice was louder now, blue eyes trained on the bruised face of her lover.

Countless wounds had covered the commander's body. Between the burns, bruises, and gashes there wasn't a single patch of unmarred skin. Her left leg and several fingers had needed reattaching and more than one joint had to be popped back into place. But by far the worst damage was internally; Shepard had been in surgery non-stop for nearly three days when the recovery team first found her. Against all odds the commander had begun to heal, meeting and surpassing all expectations.

Except she hadn't woken up once.

At first the doctors just played it off as an effect of the drugs and incredible stress her body was under. But as the weeks passed they began to suspect something was wrong. Brain scans had showed worrying, low levels of activity. Standard procedures to 'jumpstart' the mind had failed to elicit a response. Even the presence of close companions had been ignored. Before long the soldier's recovery had stalled, and then backslid, until it cumulated in the current moment.

"Clear!" Once again the body on the bed jolted away from the paddles, but the damned warning chime persisted, ringing through Liara's head until she couldn't take it anymore. Shoving her way through the crowd the maiden reached out for her bondmate. "Shepard. Shepard please." She had to do something, she couldn't just sit here and watch the love of her life fade away. Maybe a meld could pull the commander out of the recesses of her mind. It was unlikely, and she had been forbidden from trying earlier by an understanding Samara who knew the risks of connecting to a comatose mind. But the justicar wasn't here now and Liara had to do something, even if it put her own life at risk.

At the very least it meant Shepard wouldn't die alone.

Her eyes were already swirling black when she reached the bed. But before her outstretched hand could make contact a strong arm wrapped around her waist, shattering the mental link and dragging her away. "Oh no you don't, I'll be damned if I let the skipper's girl kill herself on her deathbed." The strain in Ashley's voice belied her harsh words; nevertheless she continued to drag the struggling archaeologist backwards.

"No, let me go. I have to help her!" Liara fought with everything she had, but she was no match for the Lt. commander's physique, and was far too rattled to focus any biotics. Soon Shepard was blocked from view as the medical staff closed in for a final try. "No! Skye!" Liara's raw scream filled the room as the paddles came down onto Shepard's chest for a final time.

Only to have the hero of the known galaxy jerk awake, her uncasted left arm swinging wildly into an orderly's jaw. The room immediately erupted into chaos; nurses and doctors alike trying to restrain the thrashing woman before she ripped open more wounds.

"Oh my god." Ashley's shocked murmur prompted Liara into action. Breaking away she rushed forward, this time remaining unhindered as her hand grasped Shepard's, immediately throwing them into a meld. A veritable ocean of emotions rushed from her lover; the sheer amount of it threatening to send Liara to her knees. Skye's mind was consumed with fear and pain, any rational thought thoroughly crushed by her hyper stimulated survival instincts.

Gaining her bearings Liara pushed back, countering with comfort and affection. A feeling of familiarity resounded through the mental anguish, the commander's consciousness shifting to take shelter in the embrace of her lover's presence. Gradually, their exchange soothed the commander's frayed nerves and soon she was drifting off, this time into a healing sleep. Before she completely zonked out a single, coherent thought pulsed through the bond._ Stay?_

Liara had never been asked an easier question in all her life. Placing their intertwined hands over her heart she replied, _Always. _

**Opportunities**

The sudden blare of alarms through the ship dragged Liara's attention away from her datapad. Startled, she rose from her desk and headed through the door dividing her office from the medbay, only to barely avoid a collision with the bay's other resident. "Dr. Chakwas is something wrong?"

Said doctor was currently rushing around, urgently riffling through the storage drawers and pulling out random supplies. "We just received word from the ground team, Chief Williams was critically wounded and in need of immediate treatment." Chakwas replied, not bothering to stop and look at the asari as she ducked into another compartment. The door opposing the two women slid open, revealing the doctor's two assistants.

"What?" Liara was stunned. Shepard had assured her that this mission would be a piece of cake. In fact, all three Alliance marines had been joking around before deploying to the lunar base. Apparently each one of them had gone there for training in the past, and they felt confident that the rogue VI stood no chance against them.

None of the humans bothered to answer her, choosing instead to toss the equipment Chakwas had been gathering onto a gurney and rolling it out of the room. Completely unsure of what to do, but unable to return to her studies, Liara shuffled awkwardly around the room. A long couple of minutes later the medical staff charged back into the room, this time with an unconscious Williams strapped to the cart. Following right on their heels was a very harried Shepard, still clad in full mission gear.

Despite the gravity of the situation Liara felt her breath catch at the sight of the commander. The blonde human's cheeks were flushed; eyes still alight with the fire of battle. Griping her helmet tightly she stood uselessly to the side, powerless to help but unwilling to leave her injured squadmate. For a moment the N7's shoulders slumped as she watched the assistants maneuver Ashley's body onto the operating table, but then she caught sight of Liara. Straightening, she gave the archaeologist a curt nod and turned her attention back to the doctor now attempting to shoo her out of the room.

Reluctantly the commander allowed herself to be pushed out. However, just before Shepard disappeared through the door Liara noticed something amiss. The commander had started to bring her left hand up to hit the door switch only suddenly drop it and reach out with her right instead. Before she could ponder the oddity further she caught Dr. Chakwas' eye and decided to excuse herself as well, returning to the comfort of her own quarters.

Staring blankly at a drab wall she replayed what she had seen in her head. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her, Shepard would have said something if she was injured. Sighing, she resolved to get back to work. Settling back into her chair she picked up the previously abandoned datapad and scrolled to where she had left off.

Five minutes in her fingers began tapping against her leg.

At 10 minutes her leg joined the fidgeting.

After 15 Liara was chewing on her lip as she read the same passage for the third time.

To her credit the young doctor managed to wait another two whole minutes before rising and digging through a nearby crate for a med kit. Sneaking by the busy medics she slipped from the medbay unnoticed. The mess hall was, mercifully, vacant. Even Kaidan was missing from his usual place by the lockers. Striding purposefully towards the CO's cabin, Liara felt her determination fade a bit. What if the Commander wasn't actually injured? Or what if she was, but didn't want the fumbling help of her asari crewmate? Or, even worse, what if she already had help in the form of the curiously absent Lieutenant Alenko?

Liara hesitated at that last thought. Her and Shepard's relationship had been steadily growing, recovering past Liara's initial blunder of going behind the commander's back to look up her past, and maturing to the point where they had each confessed an attraction to the other. But that didn't mean Shepard would appreciate Liara barging into her quarters and demanding to look at a possibly non-existent wound.

_Still…_ Injured or not Liara knew the Normandy's CO was distressed at the current events and she couldn't in good conscious leave her alone. Mustering her courage she raised her hand and rapped her knuckles against the door. Seconds passed, enough to make Liara think about retreating back to her hidey-hole and forgetting any of this had happened.

Before she could run off a muffled '_thud'_ came from the cabin followed shortly by a call of "Come in." The door opened of its own accord, cutting Liara's any remaining chance of escape. Timidly, she entered the room; eyes rising to meet the commander's slightly frazzled ones. Shepard was leaning on the edge of her desk, her various weapons scattered across its surface. Judging by the way she squared her shoulders and crossed her arms as her guest walked in it was clear she was trying to present a calm front. Her dirt-streaked face and partially unhinged armor, however, ruined the effect.

"Hi Liara," The N7 waved hello with her ungloved right hand. "I'd bet you're here for an explanation about all that." Shepard smiled as she talked, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Liara nodded her head, content to let the human lead the conversation. Absently she wondered if she would ever be able to look at the commander without becoming tongue-tied.

"Yeah I thought so. Turns out the VI had a lot more defenses than we thought," Liara's eyes remained trained on Shepard's left arm, noting the odd way she held it against her side, "You'd think we would know better by now." Shepard let out an exasperated sigh. Then, apparently taking Liara's prolonged silence as a request for more, she continued.

"We had just finished destroying the second-to-last power junction when some drones activated in the room across from us. Alenko was in the lead, using his biotics to cover us and blow the last of them to hell. But then…," Shepard rubbed the back of her neck, eyes distant as she recalled the mission. "Out of nowhere a rocket drone flanked our right side, primed to fire. All of Alenko's power was focused in the other direction and he couldn't get a barrier up in time. Williams managed to knock him aside but took the rocket point-blank in the chest. After that I…well I took it and the remaining drones down"

Ignoring Liara's appalled face, she turned to regard the floor. "Shit. I still have no clue where it came from. We scoured the entire base before blowing that first junction. The VI must have repaired it somehow, or assembled a new one. I don't know"

The room fell silent as the commander trailed off. Liara fidgeted, unsure of what to say. "Commander," she said tentatively, taking a step closer. "Shepard, I'm sure you did everything correctly, but sometimes surprises happen." Her words felt cliché and overused. Still they were enough to convince Shepard to lift her head and meet Liara's gaze.

" I understand that and I know our good doctor will have Ash up and running in no time. But we can't afford another incident like this. We need every edge we can get if we're going to stop Saren." Shepard said.

_Its now or never. _Liara took a deep breath and jumped in feet first. "Does that include making sure our commanding officer is injury free?" The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Shepard's face contorted from confused, to startled, then to angry all in a matter of seconds.

"How did you know about that? Were you spying on me again?" She accused, glaring at the asari.

This was exactly what Liara had been afraid of. Clutching the medkit defensively in front of her, she rushed to explain herself. "No! I promised I wouldn't do anything like that again. I just… well I, I was doing some research on your species and I found this fascinating article explaining how the majority of humans are right-hand dominant. This was interesting to me because… because I had noticed that you tended to favor your left when shooting or signing you name and well," Shepard's irritation dissipated as the young archaeologist continued to ramble.

"I swear I wasn't trying to intrude! Its just when you came into the medbay earlier I saw that you were using your right hand instead of your left and," She caught sight of the small smirk forming on Shepard's face. "And I am babbling again. I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She finished lamely, feeling heat rush to her cheeks in embarrassment.

This time Shepard's laugh was genuine as she pushed away from the desk. Cupping Liara's cheek with her uninjured hand, she rubbed her thumb back and forth reassuringly. "It's alright. I'm sorry for snapping at you. Stressed out or not, it was uncalled for."

Liara hadn't though it was possible for her blush to get any darker, but the intimate gesture proved her wrong. Captivated, she leaned into the touch, reveling in the warmth of the commander's hand. They stared at each for a beat before Shepard retreated, pulling away and coughing into her fist. "Anyway, thanks for the concern but I'm fine. My hand's a little beat up but it's nothing I can't handle." She started to shift away.

A blue hand shot out, grasping her forearm and hauling her back around. Once again green eyes met blue, the tenderness in them catching her slightly off guard. Liara's lips quirked upwards at the commander's perplexed expression. "If it's all the same to you Commander, I'd like to confirm that for myself."

Shepard let out a huff of air. There was no way she could deny Liara's request without arousing more suspicion and earning herself another stern lecture about the importance of check-ups from Chakwas. Making a decision she spun around, tossing a look over her shoulder at the asari. "I'm going to need some help getting out of my armor, one of the latches is jammed and I can't quite get it loose with my, uh, problem."

Mutely Liara nodded her head. Her mouth had gone unbearably dry and her fingers shook as she stepped closer to assist. She recognized the nerves for what they were and did her best to shove the feeling down. _Cut it out. She's asking for help removing her armor not to strip her naked. Now stop acting like a hormone driven quinquagenarian and help! _

Some biotic work and a few tugs later, Shepard was stepping out of her greaves and setting her chest plate onto the desk. Spinning, the commander faced her companion. Leaning against the desk she meekly offered her left arm, her gauntlet the only piece left to remove. Liara took the proffered limb; gently sliding one hand underneath Shepard's forearm for support while her other unlocked the last few clasps. Once the two pieces were disconnected she began to pull them apart, closely watching the way Shepard's shoulders tensed and her eyes squeezed shut.

As soon as the glove was pulled off it became clear why Shepard had been in so much discomfort. Liara's shocked eyes rose to meet the commander's slightly guilty ones, before returning to study the damage. Red, angry burns zigzagged across her skin from palm to wrist. Furthermore, the rough edge of her gauntlet had ripped a shallow, diagonal, gash from the fleshy part of her thumb to her wrist; the wound already oozing a small amount of pus.

"Shepard…" Liara said, a mixture of concern and admonishment coloring her tone. Delving into the medkit, she pulled out some disinfecting wipes and began to dab lightly at the tender skin.

"I kind of left out a few details earlier," At least the human had the good grace to sound a little sheepish, "When I said I took out the drone I may have meant that I punched it in its launch platform as it primed another rocket, causing it to explode around my arm."

"What!?" Liara was astounded. "You have a dozen advanced weapons within arm's reach and the best you could think of was to hit it?" Instinctively she tightened her grip, causing Shepard to wince in pain.

" I didn't exactly have a lot of time to think." The commander shot back, hurt pride putting her on the defensive.

This time it was an uncomfortable silence that lapsed between the two. Chewing her lip, Liara struggled for something to say to break the stalemate. "At least you could've used one of those knives you're always sharpening instead of your fist." She kept her tone light, indicating that she was joking.

Shepard was quick to reply, a grin breaking out across her face. "What, and miss out on this special treatment? I don't think so T'soni."

"If you see me dressing your wounds as a reward then perhaps I should leave now and prevent encouraging you further." Liara met her smile with one of her own.

They continued to banter back and forth while Liara applied the burn gel. Bandages followed a gauze wrap and soon she was stepping back as the commander flexed her hand open and closed. "It feels much better now, thank you." Shepard said.

"It was my pleasure Commander, though I would prefer if you refrained from punching enemy units from now on." Packing the bandages back into her bag, Liara realized that she had run out of reasons to stay. "I, um, should be going. I'm sure you have several mission reports that need filling out."

Shepard groaned. "Ugh, you had to remind me. We were having such a nice time too." Liara blushed at her words. Mumbling a goodbye she proceeded to leave. Her exit, however, was halted when warm fingers encircled her wrist. Lifting the hand to her lips, Shepard placed a kiss to the back of it, looking every bit the gallant knight Liara had read about in human feudal history. "Thanks again for the help Liara, I mean it." The commander lingered for a moment before relinquishing her hold, watching amusedly at Liara's gaping expression. Recovering slightly, the asari mumbled another 'Goodbye Commander' and fled the room.

Rushing back to her quarters Liara waited for the quiet hiss of the doors closing before she leaned against it. Regarding the hand that Shepard had kissed, Liara caught herself imagining what is would have felt like if those lips had been pressed against hers instead.

Oh well. There would be other opportunities.

**33%**

"Actually Joker, the Commander's body is a full 33% cybernetics. " Despite the music pounding through the apartment, it was easy to hear the smugness in Liara's voice. "However, I am unsure of how much they increase her performance; that percentage is still being tested."

The Normandy's pilot gaped stupidly as he watched a partially unclothed Shepard back her lover past the couches and around the corner into her room; lips never leaving Liara's neck. Just before they disappeared from view he heard the asari sigh into the commander's ear. "I do love a good experiment."

Dumbfounded he turned to meet Traynor's equally surprised gaze. " I do believe Dr. T'soni was referring to Shepard's increased stamina and how that may effect her skill in sexual intercourse." The mobile AI chimed in from beside him, apparently taking her companion's expressions as confusion.

"Yeah, no kidding EDI." Shifting uncomfortably in his seat Joker did his best to avoid thinking about that one scene in Vaenia that was exactly like what he had just seen. "Shit, and here I am without my camera."

**Dead Wrong**

Communication Specialist Samantha Traynor was supposed to be intimidated by her current commanding officer. Commander Shepard was a twice-over hero; strong, beautiful, and intense. In fact Sam had spent her first few weeks aboard the Normandy tripping over herself whenever the N7 was around. But right now she was finding it incredibly difficult to see Shepard as the deadly soldier she was. The reason for why was quite simple; Shepard was head-over-heels in love with a certain blue scientist and she was a complete and utter dork about it.

Traynor had just finished one of her regular check-ins with Dr. Chakwas when she stumbled across the scene she was now witness too. The mess hall was unusually quiet, most likely due to the Normandy currently being in its dark shift and the majority of the crew being tucked into their beds/sleeper pods. However, a few residents were milling around the room, the most noticeable two sitting at the table closest to the kitchenette. Shepard had forgone her usual attire for an outfit that very closely resembled James'; the tight tee showing off the slender muscles of her arms. The commander's companion was also in casual dress, her normally conservative lab coat replaced by a loose, yellow, top and flowing skirt.

The human and asari were sitting across from each other, both tentatively sipping at a steaming mug of tea. Liara was tapping at a datapad with her free hand, clearly engrossed in whatever was scrolling across the screen. Shepard, on the other hand, was staring at her lover with rapt attention. Sam wished she could take a picture and add it to the extranet's page on being smitten, as it fit the definition perfectly.

The elevator chimed off to her left. Rounding the corner a sleepy looking Ashley made a beeline for the coffee pot. Apparently Sam wasn't the only one to notice the love-struck commander, because as she passed the couple she reached out to flick her CO on the ear. Chuckling at Shepard's startled reaction she continued forward to dig a cup out of the cabinet.

"Quit it with the googly eyes, Commander, before someone revokes your badass license." Filling her mug with coffee she let out a noise akin to a moan at her first gulp of the brown liquid.

"I was not making googly eyes." Shepard's protest was awfully close to a whine, a red flush spreading across her cheeks. Next to her Liara let out a soft laugh. From her position on the other side of the room Traynor could see the asari's leg as it slid up the commander's calf. "Oh really Shepard? You were looking at me so intently I thought I had something on my face." Liara's expression was absolutely predatory. The complementary smirk on Ashley's face led Sam to think that this wasn't the first time they had ganged up on the commander.

" I was bored, there wasn't anything else for me to look at." Sam winced. It seemed Shepard's silver tongue had gone and tied itself into knots. Liara's retort was instantaneous.

"Are you saying that spending time with me is boring?" One eyebrow marking curved upward.

"No I…"

"Seriously Commander? I'd bet there's like a dozen things that Liara needs to be doing and you can't even appreciate her taking the time to eat breakfast with you." Williams cut the N7 off, sounding a lot like a mother scolding her child.

"I wasn't, I didn't mean…gah!" Now Shepard was considered by many to be a tactical genius and while her typical style involved a lot of explosions she did know when it was time to withdraw. Gathering her mug in a huff, she dumped it into the sink before bidding a hasty retreat. As she charged towards the elevator she caught sight of Sam and the teasing glint in her eyes.

The ruffled human paused briefly and jabbed a finger in her direction. "Not one word Specialist." She hissed. Sam gave her a mock salute and barely held in a giggle as her CO ran away. The sound of laughter drew her attention back to where Ashley and Liara were still gathered. Refilling her near empty cup the Lt. commander appropriated Shepard's abandoned seat. Still chuckling she gave Liara a cheeky grin. "She's going to get us for that later.

The maiden hid her smile behind a hand. "Oh I know, but it isn't often that I get the chance to tease her like that. If we had been alone she would've just played it off, or replied with some cheesy come on. You know how she can be."

Deciding that she had eavesdropped enough, Traynor made her own way to the elevator. Once inside, she let loose the giggles that had threatened earlier. It was good to know that even saviors of the known galaxy could go stupid over love.

**Running Away**

The only noise in the office was the soft hum of the computers as Liara integrated several new feeds to her database on the Shadow Broker. The regular workday had long since passed, and the room was tinted with the orange glow of the sinking sun. Finishing with her task, the maiden saved the file onto her personal hard drive and switched to another screen; this one scrolling with Illium's daily trade information. Scanning it, she made mental notes to check in on Binary Helix and Ariake Technologies dealings; some of their numbers weren't adding up. Extending a hand to hit the intercom button, Liara kept her eyes focused on the screen. "Nyxeris can you—" Trailing off she sighed and shook her head. Nyxeris was no longer around to help, not since she had discovered her assistant's true identity as the Observer yesterday afternoon.

It seemed the odds were in her favor this week. Not only had she managed to put down one of the Broker's best agent on Illium, and hacked into some of his communications, but she had done so with the help of the recently revived Commander Shepard.

Pausing her work, Liara turned her attention to the dog tags framed on her desk. Three weeks; it had only been three weeks since she had received the anonymous email that told her the impossible had been done. The text had consisted of a mere two words, but the one sentence, '_She's back.', _had told Liara everything she needed to know and more.

To say she was eager to see Shepard was a massive understatement. It had taken her all of an hour to locate the Normandy and begin tracking its progress. A small part of her had hoped the ship would head straight for Illium and she had almost sent an email to ensure just that.

But she had a job to do, and a promise to keep. A blue hand reached out, fingers delicately tracing the lettering on the metal tags. It had been so hard to play the aloof entrepreneur she needed to be. Her act had failed quite miserably at the first sight of the Commander, but she had pulled it together quickly. In truth, Liara really hadn't wanted to pull away, to treat Shepard as a distant stranger would, but she had to for both their sakes.

The Commander hadn't been back to see her since her rude dismissal, but she knew the human was still on Illium. According to her sources, the Normandy's CO was as efficient as ever, successfully recruiting both the Justicar and the Assassin by the early morning's light. Yet, for some reason, the ship was still docked when she had checked on it at noon. Liara had been determined not to look for any more information then Shepard's general whereabouts, lest she become overwhelmed by her still-raw feelings for her ex-lover. Still she couldn't completely ignore the way her heart ached at the thought that Shepard was finally alive again after two very long years.

Giving into temptation, she tapped a few keys and then waited as the video feed loaded. The resulting image nearly broke her heart. Shepard was sitting at a bar. Liara didn't know the name of it but she did remember that it was a gathering place for all things anti-human. Judging by the empty glasses by her elbow the blonde human was well past plastered. And add that to the way Shepard acted when drunk, well, Liara could guess about the broken chairs and groaning batarians scattered on the ground.

_Oh Shepard… _ Liara wanted to storm down there and drag her out of there and into the shelter of her apartment. Nevertheless she couldn't, they weren't like that anymore. Shepard was no longer hers to protect, no matter how desperately she wanted that not to be true.

So instead she exited the screen and pulled up the Shadow Broker data again. There must be something she missed earlier. At the very least this was something she could control, could work towards fixing. And maybe if she solved this problem, everything else would work itself out. Liara gave a disbelieving snort; if that were the way the universe worked they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

**Judgment**

_God she's cute. _The single thought took over Shepard's mind as she stared into innocent blue eyes. Instinct took over, the hand that Liara had taken to pull her up from the lockers shifting to grasp the asari's waist while the other reached upwards; cupping the soft folds of Liara's crest. Gaze never wavering, the commander watched amusedly as her companion's expression shifted from reassuring, to slight confusion, then startled realization as to what was about to happen. Making sure to move slowly Shepard closed the distance between them. Leaning in, she kept her grip gentle, but encouraging, and she was pleasantly surprised when Liara wrapped her hands around her shoulders and stepped closer. Another inch and their lips would be touching. Tilting her head, Shepard went to -

"Sorry to interrupt Commander. I've got a message from Captain Anderson." Joker's voice shattered the moment. Liara startled out of her arms, looking down bashfully as she pulled away. Shepard could barely keep the irritation out of her voice as she replied. "Were you spying on us Joker?"

"No Ma'am, just knew you were aboard and," Partially ignoring her pilot, Shepard's attention was drawn back to the asari next to her. From the corner of her eye she watched as the maiden placed one hand over her eyes and shook her head.

"He's in Flux, that club down in the wards." A soft click indicated the intercom being shut off.

"You should go see what he wants." The archaeologist's voice was slightly lower than normal, and a deep purple had spread across her cheeks; something Shepard knew was her species' version of a blush.

Mutely the commander nodded her head and turned to leave, though not before she had given Liara one last longing look. As she made her way to the stairs the normally calm N7 silently cursed to herself. They had been so close, one more second and she would have been rewarded for all her patience. Who knew when the next chance to kiss the shy doctor would come?

Pausing her ascent, Shepard thought a little more on that last thought. Then, against her better judgment, she turned and barreled back down the stairs. Rounding the corner, she was glad to see Liara was exactly where she had left her, an unreadable expression on her face. Looking up, the young doctor was surprised by the rapidly approaching human, a question stumbling from her lips.

"Commander weren't you—" She was cut off as Shepard pushed into her personal space, crowding her until her back pressed against the wall. This time the commander cupped her face with both hands, green eyes searching blue for any sign of disapproval. Seeing nothing besides some nervous fluttering of eyelashes, the human dipped her head, brining their lips into contact for the first time.

Shepard gently caressed Liara's mouth with her own, trying to coax a reaction from the maiden. It took a few seconds, but then arms were wrapping around her back and the lips under hers began to move. Head fogging with desire, Shepard let out a quiet moan. But she didn't want to push to far too soon and so she pulled back. Liara's lips were slightly puffy and her breath was coming out in short gasps.

Rubbing her thumb across the abused flesh, Shepard leaned in once again, this time leaving a soft peck on the maiden's forehead. Backing away she made her second exit, this time with a goofy smile on her face. At the moment, she didn't give a flying pyjak about what Anderson wanted to talk about; nothing was going to ruin the bubbling joy she felt inside.

* * *

**A/N **

There's the second group. I'm not completely happy with a few of them, but I think they worked out okay. I'm doing my best to get a new group out at least once a month, and maybe sooner if I can get motivated (hint hint wink wink, REVIEW).

Remember I love constructive criticism, as well as hearing about your headcannons and Shepards!


	3. 15-17

100 Drabbles

#15-17

Spoilers: Mass Effect 1,2,3

* * *

**Seeking Solace**

At the moment Shepard really, really needed some quiet. But that was a lot easier said than done. The Normandy was currently in transit, flying steadily to its destination of the abandoned Reaper. Everyone on the ship was taking to time to regroup, whether that be by catching a quick nap, running some calibrations, or sparring violently with another squadmate.

The human winced as another loud crash sounded from the cargo hold. Jack and Grunt had wasted no time bonding, and now spent a good chunk of their free time tossing each other back and forth like beanbags in some messed up carnival game. Their competitions frequently required intervention on her part, though her scolding did little good; evidenced by the fact she had talked to them not two minutes ago.

Making her way into the elevator, she paused when deciding on where to go. The cargo hold was definitely a no go with those two running about. Engineering would be little better; the talkative mechanics never let her be when she stopped in, and as much as she loved Tali she just didn't have the same tolerance for socialization the quarian did. She ruled out the Command deck for similar reasons. No doubt Kelly had a dozen emails she needed to pass on to Shepard, and if by some amazing occurrence she didn't, Joker would certainly pick up the slack.

Her cabin was a tempting choice, but that would be the first place anyone would look if they needed her, and someone always needed her for something. With only one option left, she pressed the button for the crew deck and leaned against the wall as the elevator jerked into motion.

Hiding out with Garrus would be a good choice, but she doubted she could get through the mess hall without alerting either Miranda or Dr. Chakwas. She could probably count on Thane for some quiet, but he hadn't been too keen on company since she had accidentally drudged up the memory of his late wife. That left her with only the observatories. Knowing how chatty Kasumi was, Shepard decided on the starboard observatory and hoped Samara would be absent for once. Reaching her destined floor, the commander stepped from the elevator and made a beeline for the mechanical door.

It seemed like today was not her lucky one. The justicar sat in the center of the room, hands aglow with the usual biotic sphere she summoned when meditating. Backpedaling, Shepard moved to leave the room, hoping that her presence hadn't been noticed.

"Commander?" _Damn. _Samara spoke without turning, her tone an impressive mixture of dutiful respect and clear authority.

"Ah, sorry for interrupting Samara. I don't actually need anything so I'll just be going…" Shepard stalled, halfway out the door. Despite technically being the superior officer the N7 felt like she couldn't leave before receiving some acknowledgement from the elder asari.

The justicar took her time in replying, and Shepard was left fidgeting in silence for several moments. Finally blue hands were dropped, biotics dispersing, and Samara turned to look at the human from the corner of her eye. "If you are looking for a secluded place to rest before our upcoming mission, my meditation would not be bothered by your presence."

"How… never mind." Shepard had long since learned that Samara was incredibly adept at reading both situations and people. "I would appreciate that, as long as you're sure you don't mind."

Instead of a verbal reply, the matriarch inclined her head and once again faced the window. The commander took her seat on one of the couches to Samara's right. Curling her legs underneath her, she hooked her arms over the top and let her head loll back. Eyes closed she could tell when Samara flared her biotics by the soft blue light playing behind her eyelids. They sat in comfortable silence, Shepard's tenseness fading away; at least until her mind start to wander.

This had unfortunately become the norm for her. Whenever she slowed down for any longer than a couple of minutes she began to remember everything that had been going wrong in her life. At best she would just simmer in anger over whom she was now working for, at worst she would wake up screaming from the vivid memory of how she had died. She had been avoiding these occurrences by remaining perpetually busy; only stopping when she was so tired she would just pass out into a dreamless sleep. But all that rushing around had begun to take its toll on her, and she couldn't afford to get sloppy. She would just have to deal with these unwanted thoughts, and do her best to shove them away.

Bringing one hand across her face she did her best to rub away the vision of Liara's cold expression as she sat at her desk on Illium.

"Do you wish to speak about it?"

"Huh?" Shepard was startled by the question; she had thought Samara deep in concentration. Opening her eyes, she looked quizzically at her asari companion.

"It is unusual for you not to be working on a task or talking to one of our associates. Even now I am surprised that you are not questioning me on some matter or another. I am assuming this is because something is bothering you. If you wish to voice your concerns, I shall listen to them." Samara remained facing away, her biotic flow never wavering

The marine let out a shallow laugh. How exactly was she supposed to tell a thousand year old justicar, whose moral code was a black and white as it could get, about the countless conflicting emotions she had bouncing around inside her head. Besides there was only one person who could really help her through this, and she was currently-read permanently- unavailable "Thanks Samara, but this isn't something I want to talk about."

"Very well." With that the room was again plunged into silence. Shepard let her gaze fall upwards, staring at the ceiling. Counting tiles she waited for the haunting to begin again, only to have her mind remain mercifully quiet. Confused, she tried to summon the sullen thoughts that had plagued her moments ago, but her effort came up dry. Deciding to not test her good fortune anymore, she let her eyes drift shut. Listening to the subtle hum of Samara's biotics she finally relaxed, content to let her awareness of her surroundings fade into nothing.

SHJHJGJGJGKDGSLJ

"Justicar Samara, might I have a moment?" Samara was pulled from her meditation for a second time that day, this time by a metallic voice calling from the intercom.

"Yes EDI. How may I be of service?" Reeling in her focus, the justicar tightened her control of the power flowing between her hands, ensuring that none of it broke loose from its continuous loop.

"My sensors are showing that the Commander is in the Observatory with you. However, she is not answering any of my hails. Can you rouse her so that she will respond? I have a message for her."

Sparing a glance to her right, the asari studied the sleeping form of the human slung over the couch. "Is the message of top priority?"

"XO Miranda Lawson requires her presence for a debrief on the upcoming mission. This is flagged 'important', but not 'priority'." Even with the lower ranking Samara knew the shackled AI would not be satisfied until the message was delivered.

"I will see to it that Shepard is informed of this when she wakes. Until then, I would ask you to alter your data to show that she is in her room, not here."

"I cannot do that without the proper—"

"This order comes from the Commander herself, I'm sure if you review your surveillance footage you will find the audio clip."

The intercom crackled for a moment. "Verification found. I have made the requested changes. ETA until Hawking Eta 7 hours and 47 minutes." A soft click indicated the intercom being shut off.

Satisfied with her manipulation, Samara took advantage of the commander's slumber to study her closely. The normally alert N7 was completely unaware. She appeared quite comfortable, despite that odd angle of many of her limbs. The justicar felt an unbidden smile come to her lips; Rila had used to sleep like that.

Catching herself, Samara forced the image from her mind before she went to far. Thoughts like that were far too dangerous in her current life. Settling in, she returned to her meditation. However, even long after she had emptied her mind, the soft, content, expression remained on her face.

**Excuses**

"What are you doing?" Liara did her best to sound annoyed, but was unable to stop a smile as she was jerked back into her lover's waiting arms.

"Stopping you from running off to do something more important." Shepard's voice was soft, her normally severe expression replaced by one of contentment.

"I can't imagine what that would be." The asari allowed the embrace, bringing her own arms around Shepard's shoulders. "Though I really should be going, I have reports to review and shipments to track." Giving the human a quick squeeze she started to pull away.

"Excuses, excuses" The arms around her waist tightened, refusing to let her go. "I'm starting to think you don't like spending time with me." Shepard's eyes glimmered with mischief. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse for weeks. Every time one of them managed some spare time, the other was always busy; their unsynchronized schedules creating a myriad of passing glances and frustrated sighs. But now they were both here, and Shepard wasn't about to let Liara pretend she had something else to do.

"You know that's not true." The maiden looked away shyly, a part of her old self rising to the surface with the confession.

The human chuckled softly then, shifting slightly, she rearranged their hands. Liara's right hand was maneuvered to the curve of the human's neck, the N7's left coming to rest on her hip. Grasping the asari's left hand in her right she extended both outwards. Winking at her lover's confused face, she called over her shoulder to the blue orb on the piano.

"Glyph raise the sound by three clicks, and start from the beginning."

"Shepard, what-?" She was interrupted as Shepard pushed forward, the hand on her hip guiding her backwards. Stumbling, it took her a few moments to trace her lover's movements, but soon she was able to match the surprisingly graceful commander. Spinning and twirling in time to the slow music, they glided around the room. Shepard's steps were smooth and concise; gentle tugs on their combined hands directing Liara through the motions. They danced together for several minutes until Shepard gently spun the asari away from her. Tugging on their intertwined fingers she pulled Liara back, forgoing their previous position in favor of a much closer embrace. Letting out a happy hum as arms encircled her waist, the maiden once again brought her arms around the human's shoulders. Swaying, they reveled in the quiet moment together.

A short eternity later Liara lifted her head from where she had been resting it against Shepard's neck. Leaning back she gave the human a pleased, if curious, look. "You're not supposed to be able to dance."

"I can't dance." The twinkle in the commander's eyes was the same one she got when she managed to hide some surprise from the asari, which, with her resources as the shadow broker, wasn't often.

"Then what exactly do you call what we were just doing?"

Another soft chuckle "Following a series of pre-determined footsteps to an internal ¾ count."

An eyebrow marking curved upwards, and Liara gave her a scolding pinch. Squirming, Shepard caught the offending hand and pulled it to her lips. "Ah! Easy there, no reason to go all bloodrage on me." Her lover's annoyed look deepened and Shepard pressed a hurried kiss into a blue palm.

"Just kidding. Anyway when I was younger," That got Liara's attention, the battle hardened marine almost never spoke of her life before the Alliance. The wounds from the colony raid still fresh even a decade later. " My mom was always trying to get me into some form of art, and after the third broken violin she decided that dance was a safer and less expensive option. I humored her by taking ballroom classes, mainly because it involved the least amount booty shaking. I had just finished my third year when the attack happened." Voice choking slightly the human turned away, unable to meet Liara's concerned gaze.

Freeing her captured hand the asari cupped her lover's cheek; thumb stroking tan skin reassuringly. A few heartbeats passed before the human glanced back at her. With her focus on comfort, Liara was completely taken by surprise when Shepard suddenly picked her up and twirled around. A startled shriek escaped her lips and she flailed for balance as the commander brought her from the lift to a dip in one smooth movement.

Placing a hand over her racing heart as they straightened, she gave the sniggering human and irritated glance.

Nonplussed, Shepard finished her story. " It appears that three years of constant drilling can give anyone a few moves. But I assure you that if you put me on a dance floor I will be just as awkward and embarrassing as ever."

Liara cringed at the thought, she certainly wasn't in any rush to relive their past club experiences. However, if Shepard knew this dance then perhaps…

"So you know more than just this one dance?" Dancing had never been a favorite pastime of Liara's, but the possibility of more romantic moments like this was to tempting to resist.

"Yeah. A few more versions of the waltz, the Paso doble, foxtrot, rumba, and even part of a tango, though I never really got the hang of it."

Biting her lip, Liara glanced at the commander from under her eyelashes. "Perhaps one day, after…" She trailed off, reluctant to bring attention to the colossal task before them. This time it was Shepard who cupped her lover's face. Leaning closer, she paused when they were only a hairsbreadth apart. Green eyes gazed lovingly into blue as the human brought their bodies flush together.

"Everyday after." Shepard's lips brushed against hers as she spoke. Tilting her head, Liara closed the final distance, capturing Shepard in a demanding kiss. Pressingly impossibly closer, she ran her tongue along chapped lips, seeking entrance. She was granted access almost immediately, the kiss deepening as Shepard's tongue met her own.

The two women were so wrapped up in each other that neither noticed as the music finally came to a stop; the VI's blue glow dissipating as Glyph entered privacy mode.

**Vengeance**

Related to "Dead Wrong"

"Alright Edi, I think that's enough." Rummaging through her drawers Shepard grabbed a black tee shirt and slacks.

"Understood Commander, uploading footage now." Pulling on the clothes, the commander searched around the cabin for her favorite N7 hoodie.

"Upload complete. Commander, I have an inquiry." Finding said hoodie slung across her desk chair, she let out a quiet 'aha!' and tossed it over her shoulders.

"Shoot Edi." Whenever she was confronted about her near constant wearing of the loose jacket, Shepard always claimed it was because the causal looked helped her blend into a crowd a bit more. She would never admit that the real reason was because she felt like one of the cool kids from her old high school when she pulled the hood up.

"I understand that this video is meant to be a response to a prank. However, I fail to see how attaching this to Dr. T'soni's omni-tool will accomplish that goal."

Checking her appearance in the bathroom mirror, Shepard saw her lips twitch upwards in an evil grin. "Just make sure the video remains set to her private visor, and that she can't exit out of it. If you monitor her vital signs, I suspect you'll get your answer."

"Very well Commander. The squad members have gathered in the war room and are waiting for you to begin the debriefing. I will inform them that you are on your way down."

HJSHGDJLHGDLJGDFHJB

The door to the war room opened with a whoosh, and Liara looked up from her datapad to the blonde human entering the room. Now that their Commander was present, the other members of the ground team, Cortez, and Traynor, moved to gather around the center console. Standing from her seat in the corner of the room the asari joined them, taking her position across from Shepard. She offered the N7 a smile in greeting and received a nod in return.

"Alright, it looks like we're all here. Edi pull up the map." The holographic interface flickered, shifting to show an earth-like world. Slowly the map zoomed in, stopping when it resembled an overhead of a city.

"This is Benning," Shepard hit a few buttons on the console in front of her and a second screen appeared, this time showing several Cerberus shuttles in transport. "The colony was hit hard when the Reapers first came, but a few areas managed to survive the initial wave. About two weeks ago Cerberus was reported as landing on the planet and since then-"

Activating her omni-tool Liara tuned Shepard out, her focus changing to the data scrolling on the screen. She was already aware of all this information, having been the one to send it to the Alliance in the first place. She tapped on a few feeds, rerouting them to her personal visor. As the orange interface extended across her field of vision she was surprised to see an open surveillance video of Shepard's cabin superimposed on the satellite images of Benning.

_Hm, I must have forgotten to turn in off. Hopefully Edi didn't notice the tap. _Clicking a button on her wrist she made to exit the screen; only to have the window reopen instantly.

_Odd, Glyph must have misunderstood my priority settings. I'll have to edit them once this meeting is over. _Dragging the feed into the corner of her screen she continued her investigation of Benning; selecting useful photos and consolidating data to present to the team. The surveillance feed remained off to the side and unnoticed, at least until a wet, naked Shepard walked across the screen.

Startled, Liara mashed her visor's deactivate control. Her sudden action earned her a concerned glance from Garrus, and she felt her face flush with embarrassment under his suspicious look.

_Goddess that was… unexpected. _Somehow the feed must have been on a loop from when she last accessed it, because there was no way Shepard could be in the same room as her and up in the cabin at the same time.

_I really, really need to update Glyph's protocols. _It wasn't unusual for her to be tracking Shepard's movements. In fact she almost always had the Commander's vitals within sight whenever she wasn't with the human. But having an open surveillance with her naked lover was a bit too much to bear, especially when she was in the company of others.

Resigning herself to the smaller screen of her omni-tool, she condensed the documents as best she could and prayed that she would not need more than what she could currently see.

"—Current information on the Cerberus troops are a bit iffy, but we do have some details on their numbers. Liara?" All eyes turned to her. Taking a deep breath she forced on a stoic mask and synched her omni-tool to the interface.

"Right. As you can see here, they have numerous troopers and a good amount of centurions at their disposal." A few strokes on the keyboard had the screen displaying various photos of the aforementioned soldiers. "However, I have yet to locate any Atlas mechs or other high ranking troops such as phantoms. While this is not an absolute, their absence does give some credence to Cerberus' claim that this is a rogue faction."

" Dr. T'soni would you please open all the surveillance feeds you from Benning? I have reviewed some of them and if I added your data to my compilation I believe I could form a fairly accurate estimation of their troops." Even though Edi was ever present aboard the Normandy she enjoyed using her physical platform for interactions like these debriefings. Currently she was standing to Shepard's right, blue visor scrolling with countless data.

Despite her efforts the contrary, Liara felt another small blush spread across her face. In order to do what Edi had requested she needed to reopen her visor. Seeing no good reason to refuse, she sent a silent prayer to Athame and once again activated the orange screen. The surveillance feed immediately took over her vision, and she felt the flush on her cheeks grow as she watched a naked Shepard strut through her cabin. Walking towards her bed the N7 grabbed the towel slung across her shoulders with both hands, the motion pinching her shoulder blades together and thrusting her breasts forward in a delicious arch.

"Dr. T'oni?" Tearing her gaze from pert nipples, Liara realized everyone was waiting on her. Again she tried to close the window, only to have the infernal thing reopen even bigger than before. Zooming in, the camera focused on Shepard as she dried off; muscles rippling under tan skin as she stretched up to wrap her hair.

"You alright Doc?" James' voice sounded to her left, and she was aware of the burly marine stepping closer, almost as if to look over her shoulder.

"Ah, yes. S—sorry. There was just a new feed and I, I got caught up in it." Fumbling over her words she shifted away, afraid of getting caught even though she was the only one who could see anything.

Moving the screen as far out of the way as possible she did her utmost best to ignore the view. She certainly didn't see Shepard place one leg up on the bed. Nor did she notice the swell of her lover's ass as she bent over to wipe down said leg. And she most definitely did not stare as the commander drew the towel between her legs, the human's eyes closing and jaw falling open in a silent gasp as she rubbed back and forth.

Quickly gathering the data on Benning she sent it off to Edi. But before she could escape the torturous vision on her visor Cortez interrupted her.

"Do you have any information on the layout of the city? I have a few maps, but all of them are pre-war and not necessarily up to date." Activating his omni-tool he sent a few blueprints to the interface, the map detailing the previously beautiful colony.

"Of course, just one moment. I need to bypass the private security sectors and pull up the cameras so I can consolidate them into a…a, and you don't really need to know how I get it." Beyond flustered Liara was unable to stop herself from rambling and so she snapped her mouth shut. Resolving not to speak more than absolutely necessary she grabbed the data.

In the corner of her eye she was grateful to see Shepard toss the towel to one side and head towards her clothing cabinet. Perhaps now she would get some relief. Reaching into the drawer the marine pulled out a set of underwear that was decidedly, _frillier_ than her normal attire.

_Oh Goddess. What now? _By now Liara was seriously suspecting foul play. The un-closable surveillance feed was one thing, but for it to be playing a sensuous feed of her lover was suspicious. Especially since said lover was currently pulling on lingerie the exact same blue as her skin. Still the revelation did nothing to quell her racing heart, and she struggled to stay focused as she developed a map of the city.

Finally complete, she uploaded it to the interface and exited out of her visor before anyone else could stop her. "Here. I've marked the zones where the Alliance has previously tried to gain a foothold."

"Not looking too open at all." Garrus chipped in. "Still there's plenty of cover, and several routes we can evac from." Mandibles flaring, he turned to Liara. "Any idea which spot is the best to start our press?"

Glad to have something else to think about, the maiden reviewed the map she had hurriedly produced. "I believe our best bet is through here." She highlighted one of the zoned areas. "The Alliance had the most success through here, and we received the most distress signals from this area." Glancing around at each squadmate, she stalled when the glimmering eyes of the commander caught her gaze.

Shepard's arms were crossed over her chest and she was leaning slightly backward. Green eyes were full of mischief, and Liara was certain that her earlier torment had been the marine's plan all along.

"Also this route has the least amount of troops, and—" Eyes still locked with Shepard's, Liara did her best to stutter through the explanation.

"As Garrus said the residential buildings provide plenty of cover," With all eyes on the asari no one saw as Shepard reached one hand into the open collar of her hoodie. Pushing aside the collar of her shirt, the human revealed an expanse of tan skin; a single, bright, blue strap running down her shoulder.

_Goddess. _Liara was positive her entire face was flushed purple. Not only had Shepard filmed that little tidbit to torture her, she had followed through with wearing the lacy undergarments just to mess with her lover even more. "And well, I recommend this as the best spot to land." She finished lamely.

Smirking slightly, Shepard let her shirt fall back into place and dropped her hand before the others could catch them. Standing up straight, she regained control of the conversation. "Sounds good, we'll plan to land there. Traynor send the Alliance our flight plans-" Giving the asari a sultry wink, the commander continued to rattle out orders.

Despite her embarrassment, Liara's mind began to race with ideas of how to retaliate for this incident. If Shepard wanted to play games, then so be it.

Now she just had to figure out how to waterproof her broker monitors.

* * *

**A/N**

Shorter one this time, but I've been super busy this past month. Between starting my summer job and my dad deciding we needed to re-shingle everything, I haven't had much time or energy to write. Still I made a plan and I will stick to it.

I've been doing my best to include all sorts of characters in the prompts. What do you guys think? Did you like them, did I capture the characters well? Who are some of your Shepard's best buds?

And if anyone's curious I also have a tumblr to discuss with! Send me a message so we can talk shop.


	4. 18

A/n This is late. Like really, really late. I do have excuses for it, but I won't bother. Also it's a lot shorter than the others, but I hope you'll all forgive me.

The only offering I have is to say that it was beta'd by the fantastic Rae D. Magdon! That should make it plenty awesome right? I know I'm grateful for the help.

* * *

**Love**

The ground underneath him exploded, sending him flying backwards. Slamming against the concrete with a loud 'oompf', Vega was vaguely aware of his shields blaring in alarm. Flipping over he did his best to crawl behind a nearby wall. The cannibals were on him in an instant, and he was barely able to roll out of the way before the air lit up with shots from their plasma cannons.

"Damnit!" Pushing into a sitting position, he was forced to remain crouched over in order to stay in cover. A few blasts from his shotgun stalled the enemy's advance, however his awkward angle made it impossible to do much more than that. Judging from the warning symbols on his visor he had at least a minute before his shields were back to full strength, but the Reaper troops were only twenty seconds away, maximum.

A string of curses that would've made his abuela proud fell from his mouth, and he laid down another round of cover fire before ducking back behind the wall to dig through his ammo belt. Eternally grateful he had sprung for a recent armor upgrade, he unclasped the spare ammo compartment and pulled out a frag grenade. Now there was just the small problem of figuring out how to throw it without blowing himself up in the process.

He paused as the air began to crackle with energy. The area to the right of the cannibals impacted suddenly; blue tendrils of biotics colliding with the deranged soldiers. In the next instant, while their attention was focused in the opposite direction, an armored body charged out from the left. Crashing into their ranks, the heavily armed soldier sank her omni-blade into the neck of one cannibal, her other arm leveling the muzzle of her Mattock rifle into the gut of a marauder. A twist of her wrist decapitated the cannibal, and she carried her momentum around to bury the orange blade under the chin of a husk.

Then, as quick as she had appeared, she somersaulted out of the way. The cannibals tracked her movement, but another wave of biotics ripped through the field, blowing them to pieces.

Running towards her pinned squadmate, Shepard bent over to haul him to his feet. Shoving him in the direction the biotics had come from she shouted, "Move!" and spun back around to fire at the nearby troops. Four shots from her rifle cleared the way, and she continued to cover him as he took off down the corridor.

A quick shift in weapons and she was catching Reapers in the crosshairs of her Mantis. One shot. Then two. One by one the bodies fell, creating a temporary blockade in the narrow passageway. Confident that the enemy advance would be stalled, Shepard turned and sprinted after her crewmate. She found him crouched behind some cargo crates; the conduits in his armor alight with dispensing medigel.

"You alright?" Squatting next to him she pulled up her omni-tool. A quick scan confirmed that all his systems were good, and any wounds had been successfully sealed.

"Just fine, Lola." The burly marine rolled his shoulders and got to his feet. "Glad you showed up when you did, though. You and the Doc have any luck with the controls?"

"The doors are open. Liara's holding the front for now, but we need to regroup fast." Shepard compressed her sniper rifle and reloaded her assault gun, motioning for James to fall in behind her.

The two soldiers grouped together as they leapt out from cover. Leading the way, Shepard popped two cannibals in the head before ducking down to let James catch an approaching husk on his omni-blade. They worked together as one, moving forwards until they could get behind the next set of crates. Step by step they pushed through the fuel depot, a dozen Reapers falling for each inch of ground gained.

"Shepard," Liara's voice crackled over their helmets comm. channel. "I'm beginning to get overwhelmed. I think they've figured out our target."

Neatly avoiding a charging husk, Shepard signaled to James to cover her as she climbed up the ladder leading to the reactor. "Hang on Liara, we're almost there."

Reaching the top, she tossed a flashbang behind her, shooting the stunned troops while James made his ascent. Pressing onwards they had barely cleared the worker safety zone before a large shadow loomed over them. Before either human could react a brute plummeted from the rafters, massive arms swinging outwards to send each soldier flying in opposite directions.

"Shit shit shit." With the massive creature now between them there was no way to cover each other's backs. Scrambling to his feet, James did his best to lead the beast towards him. It was their usual strategy when dealing with the half-krogan hybrids; have one person distract it while the others rained bullets into its unprotected behind. Now, however, it seemed like that wasn't going to work as Shepard was busy defending herself from a fresh wave of marauders.

"Come on you overgrown, hairy, pendejo. Over here!" A few slugs in the face caught the brute's attention, and James was hard pressed to get clear as it charged. Skidding around a corner railing the marine narrowly avoided a clawed arm. The beast followed after a moment of recovery and soon had him cornered against the safety rails. With nowhere left to run and little room to maneuver Vega was left to wait for the brute's next move. Palming a grenade he had a mere second to react as his opponent rushed forward.

An instant before the beast was almost on top of him he gripped the railing behind him and swung over the edge. The brute's huge size made it impossible for it to stop in time and its momentum carried it forward, sending the Reaper flying over James' head. Just as it passed over him, Vega struck out, sticking the plasma bomb to its belly. The mini-bomb gave a whirl as it activated and James had just enough time to grab the railing with his free hand and brace himself before it exploded, instantly killing the falling reaper.

This time his shields held, and he wasted no time in hauling himself back up. Shepard was holding her own against the marauders, and with their focus on her they never saw him coming. A few more seconds of fighting and the marines' path was clear. However, before either of them could catch their breath, a bone-chilling shriek echoed throughout the depot.

"Shepard, now would be a really good time to get here." Liara rasped through the comm.. "I've got a…augh." The asari's sentence morphed into a cry of pain, another screech echoing from behind her.

"Liara!" Shepard was already sprinting down the walkway, shotgun slugs catching any enemies foolish enough to try and block her path. Reloading his own weapon, Vega did his best to keep up with her, only hesitating long enough to make sure they weren't being followed. Finally catching up to the N7 at the end of the platform, he stopped dead in his tracks at the scene playing out on the lower floor.

Standing tall in the center of the command deck was a Banshee, mouth agape and screeching as she held her struggling, uncorrupted counterpart by the throat. Liara was doing her best to break free; eyes squeezed shut and hands clawing at her captors arm. Still, she was getting nowhere fast. Tensing, he was about to jump down into the fray, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Meeting the gaze of his commander, he was about to protest, but decided against it when he saw the controlled fury in those green eyes.

"We've got company." With a jerk of her head, Shepard directed his attention to the other side of the room, where several cannibals had appeared to join their biotic ally. "Charging in there won't do us any good. I need you to intercept and distract them before they get any closer."

"What about the Doc? She won't be able to hold on much longer." Vega was slightly surprised that the commander was restraining him and not the other way around. If he were in her situation he would've jumped right in, and not waste any time talking strategy. A strangled gasp from their trapped squadmate reached them, and the body next to his visibly flinched.

"Just keep them from regrouping, and be prepared to get clear." Shepard's eyes blazed from behind her helmet's visor, and he knew better than to argue. Jogging over to the over end of the platform, he prepped his weapon and prepared to jump. At Shepard's signal he vaulted over the edge, plummeting onto the floor below. His sudden entrance startled the cannibals, and he gave them no time to recover as he fired into their ranks.

Behind him he heard the Banshee scream, and knew the beast had turned to face him as well. Shortly after another yell joined the fray, and Shepard's boots clattered loudly against the metal flooring as she rushed the deranged asari. Continuing his assault on the enemies in front of him, he was able to push forward enough to take cover behind one of the control panels.

The heavy thud of a body hitting the floor pulled his attention, and he looked up in time to see Shepard force herself between the Reaper and recently freed Liara. Blue blood dripped from the Banshee's slashed forearm, but that didn't stop her from striking out at the human. An elongated hand slammed into the N7's shotgun, sending it flying across the room. Ducking out from under her opponent's other arm as it slashed at her, Shepard thrust her omni-blade into a bare stomach; twisting her arm to maximize damage. Still the Banshee persisted, and with a violent pulse of biotics she forced the N7 away. Catching the stumbling commander by the neck she hoisted her into the air.

A violent collision with the wall had Shepard struggling to retain consciousness. Again the Banshee raised the human into the air, clawed fingers poised to rip through her abdomen. From his position on the other side of the room, James did his best to draw the Banshee's attention with some well-aimed headshots. But the perverted asari would not be dissuaded, and with a final screech launched her arm forward.

Vega's old commander had always been a rigid hardass, but there were a lot of important lessons the bastard had pounded into his head. One of the most important had been to never hesitate. In battle every second counted. The duration of a single breath was enough to determine whether you succeeded or failed, whether you lived or died. This was why he had been vehemently against lovers being on the battlefield together. The presence of a loved one was distracting enough in normal situations, he had said, so it was unrealistic to expect soldiers to completely ignore their significant other in times of danger.

_Still, _Vega thought as he watched a blue rope of biotics tear through the Banshee's arm. _What about lovers who relationship was forged in battle? _Even in her crumpled, huffing, state, Liara's control excelled. A second biotic lash whipped out moments after the first, this one fully obliterating the arm that had kept Shepard captured. With a final grunt of effort Liara sent out her own pulse of biotics, forcing the Banshee back and capturing Shepard in a gentle pull to set her safely on the ground. The instant she was back on her feet the human woman retaliated, and James was forced to look away from her counterattack as his own opponents demanded his attention.

Trusting his squadmates to handle themselves, he threw himself into the battle with the remaining cannibals. Their few numbers made for easy work, and he picked off the last one just in time to hear the Banshee's dying screams. One reload later and he was scouring the control room for any more opposition.

From the corner of his eye he watched as Shepard approached her fallen lover, hand extended to help her up. Given the circumstances he would've expected the two to embrace. Or fuss over each other. Or at the very least confirm that they were each okay. Instead all he saw was a grip of hands that lasted only a fraction of a second longer than needed. Then the two went their separate ways; Shepard to clear the other half of the room, and Liara to the control panel.

_Hmph. _What he would give to have that ol' stick-in-the-mud here with him now. His commander may have been right about a lot of things, and James owed him far more than just his life. Still it would've been nice to seen his reaction to being proven wrong at least once. He always did like seeing that vein on the old man's forehead pop out.

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A/n So that's it for this one. As always, please review. It really helps my motivation when I here back from people; even if it's just a simple 'I liked it!'. I am working on the next piece, but I do not have an ETA for it.

As for my other fic, Fisticuffs, I have finally finished planning out how it should go, so look forward to the next chapter.

Thanks for reading! And please Review!.

-Dingbats


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